dargis



K Dec. 19, 1950 c. c. DARGls 2,534,417

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Deo. 9. 1947 4 Sheets-sheet 1 .ANN

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e o e o n a e e a a o e e o o s e u n a 4 Sheets-Sheet Dec. 19, 1950 c. c. DARGIs MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Filed Dec. 9, 194'.'

Patented Dec. 19, 1950 e1 Claimsl My inventionfrelates to vnew and useful musical instruments-andmore particularly to asmall sized-apparatus including afeombination of various instrumentalities that will produce sweet, soft, delicate and agreeable musical .sounds Iwhich areenchanting.toi-listeners.

An .object of my invention is to rprovide a nuisicalinstrument of .light Weight thatcan .be partlyfoldedto occupy a small space and capable of f being readily transported. .by handsfor/.employment xwith .asmall band, orchestra or. othergroup of musicians which .may have van engagement. at aaplace wherefno .similar instrument is otherwise available.

*Another obiect of the inventionis .to .so construct-the tcast-i and mechanism that .the hammers arelheldninlocked positioniwhen the lid is closed andireleased when said lid is raised.

Anotherbbect of .this inyentionissto vprovide aresonator tbox AWithin .the ycase and v.associated with :the sound. ,producing means, said. resonator boxihavingtransyerse partitions to .dividetm box intoisevieral chambers.

Another sobject ofV the present ,invention .is to use .glass hars. ,feither .solid ,oritubulan as Jsome orallpithasoundiproducingiineans.

Another object of this invention is .to-,provide unique means .for suspending the glass bars.

vWith the above and other .objects in viewthis invention consists of the details of construction and combination of .elements vhereinafter' vset forth and thenfdesignated by the claims.

In orderthat .thoserskilledin the art..to.which this inventionappertains may understand how tomakeandruse thesame I will describeits construction in `detail referring :by .numerals tothe accompanying drawings, forming ya part hereof, inwhich:

vSx'ig. 1 is a front View ofthe instrument .with the rlid partlyielevated -and--portions of the legs broken away.

Fig. 2 is an end of the:1id closed.

Fig.V 3`is a similar View with thelegs Yfolded and a handle extended `so -the instrur'nent may -be carried by hand-forv'transportation purposes.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged top plan viewer the in- Struinentwith the lid. open thereby releasing soijne ofA-the-parts'to permit playing thereof.

-Fig.5 is-a sectiononthe 1inef5-5 of Fig. 4, with the lid closed.

6' is an enlargedcross sectional View of aumbel Qf .the ,S OI1I1d.P1TQ-$l1f,1g ,means in the forni of i tubularl glass t.hars and the :suspending @Gnsthe l instrument set `up and VFigxba `isa View, partlyin. section and partly diagrammatic, `villustrating the arrangement of the hangers.

Fig. j7 is asectional view of Fiat at right angles` thereto.

Eig. 8 is a v.section 011th@ line ,f yof `liig. f1, with. the lid `closed.

rias ,isenieniargm Afraementary..stationalrieiv Simi-1arte ing. .5. witnan action unit. ioneratre position.

.Eigiw isan .enlarged lnlaILViBW .off the. reSOn'atQr box removed from the instrument case.

Fig. I lfl is a section ,on .the line, .LL-1H o fliisr1.0-

1n carri/maant my-inrenjon .as herein tmnodied 29 ,represents the haring a ,keyrboetd extensionamlorsth@ front This, ses@ 11S .Shaped like ...a truncated tracezilum, .thati it .is oblorlg with ,a portion .ofthe ,rear otlrledetfap 9.1.1519 t9 the .from so ,that the space lietwee fiest an 1rea11 gradually decreases in icl'h pfrom a location spaced from the lef- 1,a11d,.esid v.or leide totheenpositepr rig temor The 1,141.22 is .of 'thiesimelgliilins igd 3111.25, Eisa'thiiprer edge' of the .rear .er elle@ .ed herten 0f pese V.Said l.my ,he

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ass/init bottom 33, a front wall 34, and walls and a top wall 36, the latter having a row of holes 31 located approximately midway between the front and back edges and decreasing in size or diameter from the vwider towards the narrower end. The rear of the resonator box is normally open. Within the resonator box are a number of partitions 38, Figs. 10 and 11, which run transversely or from front to back and these are spaced longitudinally of the resonator box, the distance ben.

tween them decreasing from the larger end of said resonator box towards the smaller` or treble end thereof. The resonator box is tuned to the sound producing bars, to be presently described,

by mounting adjustable stoppers 3|a in the compartments formed by the partitions. These Stoppers make the compartments in harmony with the sound producing bars.

Over the narrower,portion of the resonator box 3l and spaced above the same is a generally triangular shaped or trapezoidframe 39 including front and back or side rods 40 and end rods 4|, Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9, supported in any suitable manner. The side rods 4U on said frame 39 each have a longitudinal groove 42 with which communicate a series of equally spaced vertical holes 43, Fig. 6, spaced according to the spacing of the sound producing bars 44, which in this instance, are shown as round and tubular in form, and which may vary in diameter, thicknessJ and length.

Flexible hanging means 45 and 45a, such as strings, is threaded back and forth through the series of holes 43, in alternating relation, in each side rod 40 and looped around the respective sound producing bars, Fig. 6a, to support the latter at or adjacent both ends thereof so that they are hangingly suspended directly above the resonator box. Said flexible hanging means between holes 43 lies in the groove 42, at least a short distance below the top surface of the side rods 45.

Because the sound producing bars 4| are suspended in stirrup-like hanging means said sound producing bars can slide or move longitudinally and to prevent undue shifting a stationary stop 1 46 is mounted on the forward portion of the resonator box 3|. The face of the stop opposing the sound producing bars is covered with suitable compressible or cushioning material 41, such as felt. At the rear of the sound producing bars 4| is a movable stop 48, Fig. 5, pivoted at 49 and normally urged into a retracted position, away from the rear ends of said sound producing bars 4i, by one or more springs 50, Figs. 4 and 5. This movable stop has suitable compressible or cushioning material 5| on the face opposing the sound producing bars and may be manually moved towards and into contact with the rear ends of said sound producing bars for moving the latter` towards the stationary stop for the purpose of aligning all of said sound producing bars. For conveniently operating the movable stop against the action oi the resilient means 50, a handle or knob 52 is mounted on said movable stop 48. Other equivalent means can be substituted for the handle or knob, such as a treadle mechanism, and said movable stop can then be conveniently used as a damper.

The sound producing bars 53 at the bass end of the instrument are at members of glass or other suitable material and vary in length, in

particular, and sometimes in width and thickness to produce the proper sounds or tones. The forward ends of the sound producing bars 53 are suspended similar to the bars 44 and for this pui"- pose a rod 54, Figs. 4 and 8, is mounted a suitable distance above the resonator box in an oblique position relative to the front wall of the case and one end is secured to an end rod 4| of the frame 39 and the other end is attached to an end wall of the case. This rod 54 is constructed similar to the rods 40 of the frame 39 in that it has a longitudinal groove 55 and vertical holes 56, Fig. 8, so that flexible hanging means 51, such as string, can be threaded through the holes and passed under the forward ends of the sound prog ducing bars 53 to suspend said forward ends, and the upper portions of the hanging means will lie in the groove.

The rear ends of the sound producing bars `53 rest on a strip of felt 58, or equivalent material, mounted on top of the resonator box 3| and the rear ends of said sound producing bars 53 are loosely held in place by pins 59 passing through holes larger than pins in said sound producing bars 53. Felt or soft leather washers 60 are mounted on the pins between their heads and the sound producing bars 53.

The playing action includes the -white and black keys 6| and '62 respectively, and all of them have their ends mounted on a rocker bar 63 and held against accidental displacement by pins 64'iixed in the rocker bar and loosely tting in holes in the keys, which holes are larger than the pins.

A prolong or connecting rod 65 of Wire is slidably connected to each key by passing the same` shank 68 carrying the hammer 69. The foot 61A of each hammer is positioned in a notch in a r mounting clip 1D secured to the front wall of the case. Said foot 61 is connected to the mounting clip by a pivot 1| and has a shoulder 12 coacting with the clip to limit the upward movement of the hammer. If advisable or desirable each prolong or connecting rod 65 may slidably operate through a guide 13 projecting from the front wall of the case.

A tiltable frame 14, Figs. 4, 5, 8 and 9, includ.` ing side arms 15 and cross rods 16 and 11, is hingedly or swin-gingly mounted at the outer ends of said arms to a suitable portion of the; front of the instrument case, as the front wall, thereof, and the cross rods overlie the Shanks 63 of all of the hammers at spaced locations., rlihe cross rod 11 has its under face covered with` a strip of felt 18 or other suitable cushioning material against which the Shanks of the harn i mers strike as they are drawn upward by the springs 19 each of which has an end attached to a separate hammer, particularly the foot 61 thereof, and the other end to the cross rod 15 of the tiltable frame 14.

When the frame 14 is depressed, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8, the hammers will likewise be depressed and the lid can be closed. Upon de; pression of the frame 14 and the hammers, the prolong or connecting rods 65 will slide a short distance through their respective keys. When-` said tiltable frame 14 is elevated, after the lid has been opened, the springs 19 will causethe hammers to follow said tiltable frame and also be elevated. This will move the prolong or connecting rods 65 into operative position with rela-y tion to the keys and the tiltable frame 1.4 is teme"v porarily retained in its elevated position, by` a' prop 8U loosely connected at one end to vsaidr tiltable frame, and especially the :cross rod 16 thereof, while the other or free end of said prop iii] is adapted to rest on some stationary element, such as the resonator box 3 l When the tiltable frame is depressed, the weight of the parts will cause it to remain so and the prop 89 will hang free.

With the tiltable frame elevated the playing action is in position for use and when a key is actuated its associated hammer will be operated through the respective prolong or connecting rod and then returned by its respective spring 79.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a musical instrument that is compact, light in Weight, although strong and durable, and one which may be partially collapsed and readily transported by hand from one locality to another. Particular attention is called to the retractable action which permits the mechanism to be housed ina case of small dimensions, and the resonator box which will reenforce the sound tones considerably although relatively small in size and of light weight.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

l. A musical instrument comprising a case, a

resonator box decreasing in width from the bass i end to the treble end and open at the back, the top wall of said box having holes in the longitudinal axial center and decreasing in size from the bass towards the treble end and the interior divided into transverse compartments decreasing in width longitudinally of said box from the bass to the treble end thereof, a frame mounted in the case above the resonator box, said frame including front, back and end rods, said front and back rods extending over slightly more than one-half of the resonator box from the end thereof and having vertical holes therethrough, flexible hanger means threaded back and forth through the holes in said rods to provide depending loops, tubular glass sound producing bars of different lengths suspended in the loop portions of said flexible hanger means, an individual rod mounted in the c ase above the bass or wider portion of the resonator box adjacent the forward edge thereof and having vertical holes therethrough, other flexible hanger means threaded through said last named holes to provide loops, flat glass sound producing bars of different lengths having one end of each suspended in the respective last mentioned loops, means passing through the rear ends of the flat sound producing bars and xed in the resonator box to hold said flat bars in place, a strip of cushioning material between the resonator box and the rear ends of said flat bars, a tiltable frame hingedly con nected to the front of the case above the sound producing bars and including a pair of spaced longitudinal cross rods, cushioning material on. the underneath face of the outer cross rod of said tiltable frame, a playing action including hammers and their shanks pivoted to the forward portion of the case and located between the cross rods of the tiltable frame and the sound producing bars, springs connecting the individual hammer elements with the inner cross rod of said tiltable frame whereby said hammer elements may be caused to follow the movements of said tiltable frame for retractingrand extending the hammer elements, and means for holding the tiltable frame in an extended position.

2. The musical instrument of claim 1, in combination with a stationary stop on the resonator box in opposition to the forward ends of the tubular sound producing bars, a movable stop beyond the rear ends of said tubular sound producing bars to be moved into contact with the rear ends of said tubular sound producing bars, and means to urge said movable stop away from said sound producing bars.

3. A musical instrument according to claim 1,A

in combination with Stoppers adjustably mounted in the resonator box compartments for harmonizing diierent areas of said resonator box with the adjacent sound producing bars. 4. A musical instrument comprising a case including a hinged lid, sound producing bars positioned in denite locations within the case, a tiltable frame hingedly connected inside of *saidl case to a wall thereof and above the sound producing bars and swingable towards and away from the latter, a playing action including harnmers and their shanks pivoted to the same wall of the case on which the tiltable frame is hinged and underlying said frame, and means to urge said hammers towards said frame whereby said hammers will follow the movements of said frame.

CHRISTOPHER C. DARGIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name 

